Peru 'cloud catchers' battle water scarcity

Some Peruvians forced to trigger rainfall by capturing fog on mountaintops in arid-climate country.

26 Aug 2012 10:42 GMT

Lima, the capital of Peru, is one of the largest cities in the world built in a desert climate.

As a consequence, the city's population of over eight million has to cope with a serious shortage of water.

Some Peruvians must rely on so-called cloud catchers, who have set up tightly woven nets at the top of the mountain Cerro Nueva Esperanza, about 1,000m above sea level, to trap fog in order to bring about rainfall.